Spiders are tiny creatures, so why are so many of us terrified when one creeps across the floor?

A study has found that people who fear spiders unknowingly perceive them as larger than they really are.

Researchers asked people to list spiders and animals by size, with arachnophobes consistently seeing spiders larger than life.

Strangely, wasps, butterflies and beetles don’t bring about this amplified vision.

Photograph: iStock